Read Across the USA!

/

This past month we had the opportunity to reach out to the little members of our community by visiting PS 132 for National Read Across the USA Day. Each year at schools across the country, the beginning of March is a time to celebrate the joys and benefits of reading. The date is usually on March 2nd in recognition of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, but since this year it fell on a Saturday, we headed out to the schools on March 1st to read to the kids from our favorite children’s books.

PS 132 once again invited members of the community including Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Council Member Antonio Reynoso, our very own Joseph Franquinha of Crest Hardware, members of the NYPD, and St. Nicks Alliance to be guest readers to their students in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Read the full article from Greenline North Brooklyn Community News

kids think reading is great.jpg
joe franquinha reading to the childrens.jpg
reading to kids.jpg


BioLite: 'Connecting The Watts' - A Short Film Series

/

We want to share a series of short films that The BioLite Team has been working on over the last 2 years.

Each short film follows the power of energy through a different lens, and when watched as a series, a broader picture emerges of a micro-revolution of practical solutions that begin with the individual.

Shot in East Africa, where just a few watts can unlock profound transformations to everyday life; where a day of sun can enable overnight safety; where a charged phone can run an entire small business.

Watch the stories unfold below:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

To learn more about this project and Biolite products, go to : https://www.bioliteenergy.com/pages/connecting-the-watts

Artist of The Week: DAN RAWLINGS

/

This week’s ‘Artist of The Week’ is Dan Rawlings from the UK!

Dan creates amazing work inspired by visions of a world where man’s impact is being slowly reclaimed by nature.

He’s well know around the world for his manipulation of metal and light, which he uses to create his signature works including plasma cut hand saws and much larger pieces as seen in the images below, check them out!

NYC Together comes to Crest Hardware

/

This past week we had the pleasure of hosting an activity with NYC Together, a non-profit organization that brings together police officers from Brooklyn’s 90th precinct and students from local schools to engage in civic activities, providing a space for communication through non-formal engagement with law enforcement.

The kids from a school in Brownsville, Brooklyn came by the store to carve and decorate their own Halloween pumpkins on our outdoor patio in the garden center. It turned out to be a fun and enriching experience for not only the kids but also for the police officers who dedicate themselves to serving and protecting the community. Together the officers and the kids had a chance to dig in and get their hands dirty while also expressing their creativity. Nothing like a good ole’ pumpkin carving session to bring us all together!

We do our best to support organizations that tighten the bonds that make our city feel like one big family. Our community is important to us, Brooklyn & beyond, and we can get behind any organization that brings us all a little closer together.

Find out more about NYC Together at www.NYCTogether.com


Buy a Board & Make a Donation!

/

Cool product alert! 🚨 Check out our good friends at @BucketBoard who create skateboards out of upcycled 5 gallon buckets! The profits on the sale of each board goes towards the @ChillFoundation to donate complete skateboards to kids in their youth mentorship programs. For more info on their process and story visit TheBucketBoard.org

Welcome Greg, Our New Garden Center Manager!

/

We would like to introduce you all to Greg Peterson, our new garden center manager!

Greg standing in our 5000 SF Garden Center

Greg standing in our 5000 SF Garden Center

Greg's earliest memory of the plant kingdom is trying to avoid the thorns while picking raspberries from the shrubs in his backyard. Also weeding the vegetable garden, mowing the lawn, and his first actual job, detasseling corn.  

He enjoys jogging, the novels of Henry Green, and teaching piano lessons, and is both excited and honored to be the new Garden Center Manager at Crest Hardware. 

Come by and say Hi!

Show Us Your Project Winners Circle!

/

We would like to shout-out and give thanks to all those who have entered our Show Us Your Project Contest thus far!

The contest has been a great way for us to engage with our customers and show our appreciation by giving back. We are very impressed with the submissions and it fills us up with joy to see the blood, sweat & tears that everyone is putting into their projects. We are more than happy to help the process by supplying tools & materials to aid in the creativity and ingenuity of our customers. Thank you for choosing Crest Hardware and sharing your amazing projects with us on Instagram!

Congrats to the most recent winners!

@ZhillWhilton
@HeggsBenedict
@Sohlaroids
@BjorkNewYork

Here's a look at their winning projects:

@ZhillWhilton

Zhill 1.png
zhill 2.png
Zhill 3.png


@HeggsBenedict

heggs 1.png
heggs 2.png
heggs 3.png
solar 1.png
solar 2.png
solar 3.png
Screenshot 2018-06-26 at 1.35.07 PM.png
Screenshot 2018-06-26 at 1.35.29 PM.png
Screenshot 2018-06-26 at 1.35.35 PM.png

Join the ranks of these winners by entering for this months contest! 

To Enter: 

-Post pics of your project to Instagram

-Tag them with @CrestHardware  #CrestHardware  #ShowUsYourProject2018

-Be sure to also tag any of the brands you used to create the project:
#MinWax #Krylon #PrattAndLambert #SheffieldTools #MilwalkeeTools #PurdyBrushes #GlobeElectric

The winner for June will be announced the first week of July via our Instagram: @CrestHardware

 

Artist Egle Zvirblyte Paints Mural in Williamsburg

/

Thanks to BK Street Art & in cooperation with Montana Cans & Crest Hardware... Williamsburg, Brooklyn now has its very own wall of fun and whimsical characters created and painted by artist Egle Zvirblyte.

Egle Zvirblyte is a Lithuanian artist based in London. They have worked with clients such as Nike, Refinery29 & OK Cupid to create amazingly fun and colorful illustrations.

We are excited to see her work so close to the shop! If you want to take a look and grab some pics, head on over to Meeker and Manhattan Ave.

Arbor Day Celebration in Williamsburg

/

Happy Arbor Day!

Today marks the launch of the first round of the educational playground components for the Brooklyn Arbor Urban Ecology Playground. A collaboration between the WeLive Design Team X Lunch Money, the project includes tree and plant species signs, an "observation station", and murals made possible by donations from Crest Hardware - all in the newly landscaped playground. 

Graffiti Vanity: Rooftop Installation by MRtoll

/

We have recently been blessed with a rooftop installation by artist MRtoll in collaboration with Foundry Wood. You can view the piece, which is a graffiti stylized 'NYC' made of mirrors and wood from the street below right in front of Crest Hardware. The piece is part of a series titled 'The Graffiti Vanity Project' which seeks to invoke the viewer to interact with the art by seeing yourself within the piece and taking a selfie!

Graffiti Vanity

The Graffiti Vanity Project looks at our obsession of looking at ourselves and the relationship of graffiti and it’s roll in the selfie. 

Graffiti was the first selfie, people have always longed to leave their mark. They have been scratching their names on walls for over 2000 years. In the 1970’s and 80’s youth started taking to the street of New York City and Philadelphia with spray cans. They would paint,  tag or graffiti their names over and over to see who could be the most seen writers in their city.  Street artist MRtoll and Foundry Wood have partnered up to create Graffiti Mirrors. The mirrors are also a reflection of the city and its relationship to the daily commuters. 

The idea is to give the viewers a chance to interact with the city and their surroundings. In a digital era were selfies and social media are the mainstream form of expression the mirrors encourage the viewer to become a creator itself, not only by engaging with the mirrors but also by taking a selfie and therefore leaving their own mark.

FOLLOW: 
@mrtoll
@foundrywood
@graffiti_vanity

www.foundrywood.com

ezgif-2-b1e97f77af.gif

Come Meet Santa!

/
santa crest.jpg

Santa is coming to The City Reliquary holiday party on December 10! Kids can meet the big red guy at the annual civic celebration for friends & neighbors.

The City Reliquary is a short walk from Crest Hardware, located at 370 Metropolitan Ave.
If you look closely at Santa, you'll see he's our very own "Crest" Kringle. 

There will be cookies, milk, and juice boxes for the kids (included w/admission), and "holiday cheer" for grown-ups (a little extra). There will also be brownies and blondies made with flour from RISE Products, one of the upcycling organizations featured in our NYC Trash! exhibition.

Admission is a suggested $5 per adult. Free for kids 12 & under.

Link to Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1621528824576549/

Best Plant Shops in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!

/

A big thank you to Homestead Brooklyn for featuring Crest Hardware as one of the Best Plant Shops in Williamsburg, Brooklyn! 

It was a pleasure meeting and talking with Summer Rayne Oakes & Kippee, the Rhode Island Red!
Check out the Video Below!

One of the main questions I get from out-of-towners (aside from "Can I come tour your home?"*) is "Where do you shop for plants?" Luckily, my neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is TEEMING with some of the best plant shops in NYC. See what sets each apart from one another.

Handmade Organic Compost in Brooklyn!

/

In the spirit of nurturing our community's growing interest in environmental awareness, including organic waste disposal, we would like to introduce our friends over at BK Rot! 

BK Rot makes handmade compost from organic waste collected from their home pick-up members, small businesses, farmer's markets, community organizations and local caterers. Their compost is chopped down and mixed with wood chips from a local tree company and clean sawdust from friendly wood shops. 

We are currently carrying their bagged organic compost, which is perfect for growing vegetables, herbs and also for jump-starting soil remediation of backyards and toxic landscapes.

bk rot

BK ROT is a community based year-round composting service. They employ young adults from the community at living wages to collect organic waste from businesses, organizations, and households by bike. The material is processed at their site, Know Waste Lands, in Bushwick, Brooklyn. 

To learn more about BK Rot, you can check out their website: www.BKRot.org

Crest Hardware Featured on Passerbuys!

/

This past week we were visited by our friends at Passerbuys! 

Passerbuys is a shoppable lifestyle blog woven together by the lifestyles of diverse and inspiring women, the 'Passerguides', which include their recommendations on shopping, fashion, and interesting places to check out.

Crest Hardware was recommended by a few inspiring ladies in the NYC area, so Passerbuys decided to swing by and check out what all the fuss was about! 

You can check out the full feature HERE!

Photos courtesy of Passerbuys.com

Field Trip to Crest Hardware!

/

We had a great time today building birdhouses with Miss Franquinha's class from PS 91 in Glendale, Queens. The class stopped by to learn about plants, visit Franklin the Pig and get involved in do-it-yourself projects!

Miss Franquinha and her class

Miss Franquinha and her class

The kids with their finished birdhouses

The kids with their finished birdhouses

We used Melissa & Doug Birdhouses sold at Crest Hardware. We carry an assortment of fun projects and activities for children!

BindleStiff Family Cirkus Presents:

/

Crest is a proud sponsor of the Cardboard & Ducktape Spectacular!

For more information on the event check out: BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS

bindlestiff family cirkus

Bindlestiff’s latest production, A Cardboard & Duct Tape Spectacular, returns to NYC’s Connelly Theater after a successful premiere run in 2016. A little imagination can go a long way, and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus continues to reimagine classic American circus tradition with a unique contemporary twist.

Join Bindlestiff’s cast of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, sideshow marvels, and vaudevillians as they pare the Cirkus down to its most basic elements: discovery, risk, and joy. Always ready to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, these talented performers bring the audience back to their own childhood experiences of fun. Follow the Bindlestiffs and discover that some cardboard, duct tape, and creativity is all that’s needed to find delight.

Crest Neighbors - ThEnd Coffee

/

‪#‎CrestHardware‬ wanted to take a second and thank our newest‪#‎neighbors‬, ‪#‎TheEnd‬ for offering ‪#‎Coffee‬ ‪#‎Juice‬ & ‪#‎Vibes‬ in our‪#‎UrbanGarden‬ Center on this super sunny Saturday! ✌🏾️☕️🍎🍊🌞🌿🌺 @thendbrooklyn @montaukjuicefactory ‪#‎ShopLocal‬ ‪#‎KeepItLocal‬‪#‎Williamsburg‬ ‪#‎Brooklyn‬ ‪#‎NYC‬ ‪#‎Since1962‬ ‪#‎StayCivic

TheEnd coffee at Crest Urban Garden Center